


A Shinobi's Tree

by hkandi



Series: Winter Bingo 2020/21 [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: But also the celebrations that come with it, Christmas Tree, Decorating, Discord: Umino Hours, Gen, Holidays, Hugs for reading!, Light Angst, Students grow up, The pain that is life happening, Traditions, Umino Hours Winter Bingo, maybe? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:29:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28249917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hkandi/pseuds/hkandi
Summary: The Rookie 9 decorate a tree in Iruka's classroom in their last year at the academy, and it becomes tradition, showing the ups and downs of life.
Relationships: Dai-hachi-han | Team 8 & Yuuhi Kurenai, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Hatake Kakashi, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Umino Iruka, Hyuuga Neji & Maito Gai | Might Guy & Rock Lee & Tenten, Rookie Nine & Umino Iruka, Sarutobi Asuma & Dai-jippan | Team 10
Series: Winter Bingo 2020/21 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2110020
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41
Collections: The Umino Hours Winter Bingo 2020





	A Shinobi's Tree

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Umino Hours Discord Server Winter Bingo event, for the prompt "Christmas Tree."
> 
> A slightly angsty story, but I'd like to think it's more related to the twists and turns of life than anything else.
> 
> (Also, I took slight liberty with timeframes...)

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

The last year that the Rookie 9 were, well, not rookies and instead still Iruka's students, the academy ran a few holiday-themed events before it closed for winter break.

One in particular grabbed his class' attention - a Christmas tree decorating contest.

The students decided to enter, originally to try to win the top prize of boasting rights and, more importantly, a ridiculous amount of baked goods. Iruka, for the record, was quite supportive of this (both of his students, and of trying to win that prize).

The class decided to pursue the theme "A Shinobi's Tree," and that each student would make an ornament representing anything related to this. For some, it might be representations of their clans. Others, things they were learning about the shinobi way of life. 

His class spent one subject a day for over a week making their ornaments, and the day before the judging, they spruced up their tree, which they had been carefully watering.

The actual morning of The Big Day, Iruka came in early to string a simple dark blue wooden beaded garland in the tree, a Shinobi Blue that his class had picked.

Then, after roll call and their first two morning lessons, they decorated.

Shikamaru hung a felt stag head, while Choji hung his favorite bag of chips next to it. "Energy!" he proclaimed happily.

Completing their official unofficial team, Ino hung a wooden version of her clan's symbol near the boys' ones. Next to her, Sakura hung a mini, bedazzled, blue shinobi headband. 

They also tried to strategically place their ornaments near Sasuke's, an Uchiha clan symbol on a plain black round background. He had refused to participate for several days until he grew so sick of most of the class trying to talk him into doing it (and in general, talking to him), that he made it in ten minutes so they would leave him alone.

Naruto drew a picture of the Hokage's hat, and hung his near Sakura's ornament.

Hinata made a small scroll, writing about the Will of Fire on it, and shyly hung hers near Naruto's ornament, not that he noticed.

Kiba and Akamaru created theirs together, a pawprint inside of a handprint, and Shino drew one of his favorite bugs. Well, a few of them, he couldn't pick just one.

Other ornaments were added, representing their training, their lessons, and a few plain round blue ornaments to round out the entire tree.

They topped it with a small stuffed hawk, representing communication and shared messages.

To their delight, they won, and spent that Friday afternoon eating too many sweets. Iruka had no qualms about sending sugar-filled students starting winter break out into the village, and happily packed up some extras for himself.

After winter break, they took the ornaments down, packing them into a box Iruka had picked up over the break. He wasn't sure what he would do with them, but couldn't even fathom the thought of getting rid of them, and the class had decided to keep them together rather than taking home their individual ornaments.

_______

The box of ornaments sat in Iruka's classroom closet until that December, when a tree was delivered to his classroom earlier in the week before winter break, with a note stating his former students would be by on Friday to decorate.

He had smiled widely when he read it, and busied himself with getting the tree standing just so in its stand, and keeping it watered.

Friday morning he strung the same beaded garland he had put up the year before, and put the stuffed hawk on top. This year the academy had introduced other events, and so this was the only tree in his classroom. His students had not really taken an interest in it, and so he moved the tree at the end of the day to stand near the windows, so that it could be seen even when the academy was closed.

Soon enough, his former students trickled in, now genin proudly wearing their forehead protectors, on teams, and with their jonin-senseis.

Iruka greeted them cheerfully and went into his closet to bring the box of ornaments out.

Surprisingly, the room grew silent at the sight of it.

"So much has happened in the past year," he said, "since you were students here, making these."

"It feels like more than a year," Sakura had sighed, and the others nodded.

They sat in silence for a moment, reflecting on the last few months. Graduation from the academy. Starting to train on their teams. Missions. Fights. Injuries.

The chuunin exams. Mourning the Sandaime Hokage. Celebrating the Godaime Hokage.

Iruka softly opened the box of ornaments and placed them respectfully onto his desk. The genin trickled up to retrieve theirs, showing their team leaders what they had made as they placed them on the tree, now picking spots closer to their own teammates' ornaments than they had last year.

"Kakashi-sensei," Iruka softly said to the copy nin. "Would you?" he asked, not finishing the sentence, but holding out Sasuke's ornament.

Kakashi studied him with his visible eye, and Iruka could just barely see the strain the past few months and losing a student had taken on the man.

The jonin nodded silently, gratefully, and hung it with Sakura's and Naruto's ornaments, to their delight.

New ornaments were also added, reflecting new aspects of being a shinobi for the genin.

Bandages and mini weapons hung here and there, as did postcards from some of the places they had travelled to on missions.

D-rank missions in the village were represented, to the adults' surprise and laughter, including weeds, cats in trees, and other miscellaneous errands.

A black ribbon was added, to represent their losses, and fake money found its place on the tree, showing their independence and prosperity, as well as to bring them all good fortune.

"I was surprised to receive the tree and learn that you would all come back," Iruka commented as they finished.

"O-of course!" Hinata proclaimed.

"We'll do it every year!" Kiba said, and the others agreed.

Iruka smiled. "I'll hold you to it!"

______

The following year, a tree was sent to his classroom, and the event repeated itself.

This year, Gai-sensei's team had been invited by the others, as they often worked closely with them.

This year, Kakashi did not need to be asked to hang the Uchiha symbol, but quietly prompted Iruka to hang Naruto's ornament, as he was away training with Jiraiya, and everyone knew Iruka missed him dearly.

New ornaments found their way onto the tree next to older ones.

Medic training. Successful chuunin exams. Higher ranked missions. More injuries. More places they travelled to.

______

A Shinobi's Tree grew, year by year.

New weapons preferences. New shinobi ranks, career paths.

More black ribbons, representing those they lost.

New ornaments, representing growth, birth, relationships.

Captain Yamato joined Team Kakashi, and began to grow the trees, making them bigger and better each year, and Sai painted beautiful ornaments for the tree.

Eventually, Iruka needed a second box to hold the ornaments, and reserved the top shelf in his classroom closet for it.

Yes, it was at times bittersweet to receive the tree and prepare for the others to come decorate it, but it grew into something bigger than any of them, something routine, comforting. A tradition that they tried to not miss, year after year, something calming and soothing no matter what else was happening in the world.

And for that, Iruka was grateful.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Back to my more upbeat stories tomorrow, and probably for the rest of my bingo entries, likely coming in January.
> 
> Happy Holidays!
> 
> Feedback and suggestions welcomed!
> 
> Let's connect, I'm on [tumblr](https://hkandiu.tumblr.com/)


End file.
